Revelations and Reconciliations
by timeless93
Summary: Zuko reveals critical information to the group about his ancestry. The Gaang ponders this information, then they each have one-on-one time with him that will change their relationships. Takes place after Firebending Masters. My first fanfic! ON HIATUS!
1. Chapter 1: The Pariah

**A/N** _This is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it. I wrote it because Zuko is one of my favorite characters, and I really don't appreciate how Katara treats him—though she does have a point. He did change for the worse during the "Crossroads of Destiny". This is probably because I am biased—Zuzu rules! Of course, I like everyone else, even Ozai. If it wasn't for him, there would be no Avatar. Anyways, enjoy!_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. They belong to Mike and Bryan.

_**Revelations and Reconciliations— Chapter One: The Pariah**_

Zuko sighed, sitting next to the Avatar (he wasn't used to calling him Aang). This dinner was going to be awkward, he could feel it. As the group sat around the glowing fire, the Duke provided some entertainment.

"Wooo, go the Duke!" shouted Toph. Haru, Teo, Aang, and Sokka pumped their fists in the air, cheering for the boy.

"Be careful!" cried Katara. She observed the Duke, then gave a big smile, joining the others in their cheering.

He was stuck in the bowl of his helmet, but was clearly enjoying himself, spinning around while everyone laughed. That is, everyone except for Zuko.

He shifted around uncomfortably on the worn floor of the Western Air Temple. It didn't seem right for him to join in on the laughter, although he was part of the group now. He wanted to be more than the Avatar's firebending teacher. He wished he was a real part of this family, though he hated to admit it to himself. Zuko drummed his fingers on the ground. He tried to focus the awkwardness elsewhere, and his eyes soon rested upon the fire. Zuko watched, transfixed by the golden dance of flickering flames. The dragons were right—fire was alive, breathing with every sigh he took.

"More soup, Zuzu?" asked Katara, malice in her eyes and contempt in her words. Zuko glanced up, broken from his hypnosis of the flames.

"Sure," he replied, not in the mood for her "hurt" reply if he rejected it.

She raised her hands, and with a graceful arc, bended the soup into his bowl. Zuko felt a hot wetness trickling down his face, as "somehow" some soup splattered from the bowl. He wiped it away. Katara looked down onto the floor, giving a little smile. The group stopped laughing, and the air was eerily quiet. Then Sokka laughed, grabbing onto his sides, and toppled over. The group resumed their laughter, jeering at Sokka, who continued to rile on the floor. Katara looked up, only to meet Zuko's face. She glowered.

Zuko stood up, said good night, and headed over towards the main temple, for the solitude of his room. Aang glanced at him as he walked past, while Toph's ears perked up. She recognized the sound of his defeated footsteps walking away from them.


	2. Chapter 2: It's a Small World

A/N _Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate them! Thanks for the help; I made it longer like you guys recommended. Enjoy!_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar! They belong to Mike and Bryan.

_**Revelations and Reconciliations—Chapter Two: It's a Small World**_

_"Mom, mom! Don't go, please." Zuko watched as his mother lowered the hood over her eyes, which were filled with tears. She closed them, then turned her back on him. She faded into the night. "NO! PLEASE!"_

_Zuko sat on the Fire Lord's throne, watching his uncle being dragged in. Iroh's face looked at him, filled with disappointment. Zuko felt horror, wondering why his uncle was being treated this way. Zuko spoke, but heard Fire Lord Ozai's voice, "Traitor. You filthy creature. Lock him in the deepest dungeon." _

Zuko awoke, sweating and panting, trying to forget his nightmare. _Where are you, mom? _ _I'm sorry, Uncle. _It was morning, and the warm sunlight flooded his room. He always had nightmares similar to the one he had just woken up from. He dressed, taking his time. Breakfast started around now. He didn't want to look upon the face of Katara, who scorned and taunted him so much. Zuko didn't know whether to feel angry about last night, or to accept it as punishment for all the evil he had done in his past. 

"Well, I'll have to come out of my room. The Avatar—I mean, Aang—needs to be taught. And I, well, I need to teach him. Yeah. No reason to be scared of her."

He stepped out of the main temple, looking up into the sun. The sun was pretty strong today, so he looked away. Black dots filled his eyes, and for a second, he thought he saw a face. An old man, with fierce eyes, standing tall and proud, dressed in a flowing red robe. Zuko blinked. _Great. I'm hallucinating now. I _knew _she put something in my food._ He walked past the fountain, still wrecked from the encounter with "Combustion man". Zuko winced, feeling a big guilty. Well, if Combustion man hadn't come to attack the group, then maybe the group wouldn't have allowed him to join. 

He headed towards where the group was eating breakfast. Zuko remembered the old man's face; he seemed so familiar. The face seemed like it was trying to tell him something.

"That's not funny, Toph!" Zuko shook himself from his thoughts.

"Yes, it is. You're a strong man, why don't you go get it?"

Sokka's boomerang was perched perilously on a rocky cliff Toph just earthbended.

"Nice one, Toph!" Aang said, smiling like the optimistic Avatar he was. Teo whooped.

Zuko walked towards the Avatar, asking quietly, "What did I miss?" Aang gave a small laugh.

"Not much. Sokka and Toph are being themselves. They're like an old married couple. They don't go a day without fighting." Zuko raised his eyebrows.

Aang shrugged his shoulders, "It's funny!" He gave a big smile.

"Breakfast is ready!" Katara's voice rang out. She looked up from whatever she was cooking, and met Zuko's eyes. Hers narrowed into slits. Zuko ignored them and sat next to the blind earthbender. She thrust her hand down, shoving the rocky cliff back. Sokka's boomerang came down. Sokka gave a cry, and scrambled for it. He breathed a sigh of relief, catching it. 

"There you go, Snoozles" Toph said, a satisfied grin on her face. Sokka stuck out his tongue at her. Katara served breakfast, and the group settled down to eat.

The meal was relatively quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Zuko pondered again on the old man's face. It was like he needed Zuko to say something.

"So Aang, what are you doing today?" Katara looked at him with kindness.

He swallowed his breakfast. "Some training with Sifu hotman!"

"Oh, yes, of course". The disdain was clear in her voice and face. "Well, be careful with him. He tends to be pretty unsure of himself."

Zuko looked up. He knew what the old man wanted him to say. He turned towards the Avatar. "Do you know about Fire Lord Sozin?" Aang nodded.

"Well, then, you know he's my great-grandfather." Aang nodded again. The group looked at Zuko, curiosity in their faces.

"He was a terrible person. He chose the wrong path, against Avatar Roku's wishes." Zuko paused. "This evil passed down to my father. Ozai could have chosen the right one. He had that power. Everyone does. But he just chose to be bad. Well, he married my mother. She was a kind person, showing compassion in everything that she did."

"Yeah, your crazy kamikaze of a sister didn't get any of that." Sokka added. Zuko looked up at him. Sokka gave a weak gesture. 

"Sorry". Zuko shook his head. He appreciated that he didn't say, "_You_ didn't get any of your mother's kindness. "No, that's fine. She's insane. But she also had the power to be good, if she wanted to. Anyway,"

"I have more than one great-grandfather, of course. But whenever I thought of that, I only thought of Fire Lord Sozin. My Uncle Iroh," he paused, sorrow washing over him. "Told me this, so I know it's true. Well, my mother's grandfather, _my_ great-grandfather, is…"

"…Avatar Roku." Toph finished for him, her head bowed. "It makes sense now"

Zuko nodded. Aang looked at him in shock. Sokka's jaw dropped, but Katara stared intently at a crack in the temple floor. "Yes, Avatar Roku and Fire Lord Sozin are my great-grandfathers. Well, um, I need to go and prepare for my lesson. Thank you for breakfast." He bowed to Katara. "Meet me by the fountain in twenty minutes, please, Av—Aang." he finished. The old man wanted him to leave, to let the group soak up what he had just said, and make a few discoveries of their own. Zuko got up and left.

"It makes sense. No wonder he's so messed up." said Toph.

"He's lying" Katara said bluntly. She refused to believe that Zuko was related to Roku, to _Aang_. "That can't be the truth."

"He's not lying, Katara. Aang's past life is Zuko's great-grandfather. Not to mention Fire Lord Sozin's ex-best friend." Toph continued to keep her head bowed. "It's a small world."

"Ha, he's related to you, Aang!" Sokka smiled proudly at his discovery.

"He has good and evil inside of him, Sozin and Roku. He was having an internal war. He couldn't choose which to go with. Katara knows this." Aang realized. Katara closed her eyes. "But he chose us."

A/N_ I hope you guys like it so far! I'm going to try to update as soon as I can, but I have a term paper I need to (finally) start. Please review, guys! I accept flames, but "Nice jobs!" are definitely welcome. Thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3:The Ones Who Were There For Us

A/N: _Hey, everyone! Thanks to those who reviewed! Just to clarify things, (for Miyiku), Toph figured out about Roku because she's smart. I got inspiration from when Toph defended Zuko's sincerity in the "Western Air Temple". I wanted Toph to be the one to give the reason for why he changed to good. I wanted her to be the one to put two and two together. Well, I hope you guys enjoy chapter 3!_

_**Revelations and Reconciliations—Chapter Three: The Ones Who Were There For Us**_

**Part One:**

Zuko paced around the fountain, frustration boiling in him. The Avatar was late, again. They needed to get started on their lesson right away. Not only did he have a lot to teach him, Zuko himself needed to attempt something. He wanted to end the lesson early, so that he could try the technique which he had failed before.

"Where is he?! I told him twenty minutes! He needs discipline. How is he going to face the Fire Lord if he can't even show up to his lesson on time?!"

Zuko stopped pacing, and leaned against the fountain's base. He took a heavy breath, and then exhaled. He needed to calm himself. He would just discipline the Avatar.

"Momo, stop! No more games! I'm already late. Sifu Hotman's gonna _kill_ me."

Aang ran in, chasing Momo, who carried his glider. He looked frustrated, too, his face flushed pink and sweaty. _So, you were playing keep away with the Lemur, and you lost track of time. Not a good excuse._ Zuko lunged, his left leg bent and his right stretched to the side. He curled his left arm to his side so that his left fist touched his chest. He proceeded to thrust his right arm forward.

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!" The Avatar yelped. He snatched the glider from Momo and whacked it at the steady stream of fire that had emerged from Zuko's fist. The curved air gust threw the fire back into Zuko's path. He slashed his arms out in front of him, and the fire disappeared into a black smoke.

"Hmm, nice—ughhh!" He was slammed into one of the pillars that used to connect into a sort of canopy over the fountain. A cold so freezing that it burned him swept over him. Zuko opened his eyes, and found a thick glassy ice holding him hostage to the pillar. He raised his head, and his eyes met the lethal stare of Katara. She moved her right arm towards the fountain, and water snaked out of it to cover her arm. He had seen her doing something similar, when she had done her octopus form, or whatever it was. Katara raised her arm towards him. The water froze into an icicle. The sunlight hit it, gleaming like a sword. Zuko followed her arm, which soon came to point at his throat. The icicles tip touched his throat, threatening to pierce it.

"I told you. If you_ ever_ did anything to harm Aang….What were you doing, Firebending at him? He wasn't ready. You tried to hurt him. Well guess what?! You're not the only one that has that power!" Her voice was quiet and hard, having a sound like chilled steel. He had only heard this before when she had threatened him. It was a sound unlike her. Zuko felt himself come over with a sudden calm. He looked up from the icicle, and stared at her eyes, with a mixture of sadness and pity. For some reason, he could feel no anger. His face then became stoic. It wasn't because he didn't want to betray fear. He just couldn't feel anything, staring at the icicles tip.

"Katara. Stop it, now." Aang spoke clearly and quietly, afraid of the girl whom he loved.

"Aang." Her voice softened. "He tried to hurt you! I told you! We can't trust him!" Her voice raised angrily with every word she said.

"No, Katara. He didn't try to hurt me." He turned his face away from her, disappointed. "He's disciplining me. I was late. The moment it is time for our lesson, not only is he Zuko, he is also my Firebending teacher. Just because I'm the Avatar, doesn't mean I get special privileges." Aang showed his respect to Zuko by bowing, Fire Nation style. "I need to master discipline to master Firebending, Katara. And that's what he was doing. Teaching by discipline. Katara, you need to understand that."

Katara sighed, and drew her icicle arm away from Zuko's throat. Zuko's face didn't change expression; he continued to watch her. She raised her arm over the fountain, and the icicle melted back into liquid.

"I'm sorry, Aang." she said, not looking back at the face of the one she came so close to ending. She looked at Aang softly. He turned his head towards her, relaxing his seriousness, and gave a goofy smile,

"It's okay no harm done!" Of course he would forgive her in two seconds; he obviously loved her. She smiled at him, then quickly lost it, remembering why she was there. Katara closed her eyes, then walked away. Aang turned his attention back towards his teacher.

"I'm sorry, Sifu." Aang raised his arms and slashed at the ice. It broke in half, and Zuko was freed. Zuko looked pensively in the direction Katara walked away. _When is she going to realize? I am no threat._ "No, that's fine. You're not the one who attacked me." Aang gave a nervous laugh. "She'll come around, Zuko. Everyone will." he said empathetically. Zuko gave a little smile. _Hopefully soon._

"Anyway, as I was saying, you had nice instincts. Your reaction showed what you have learned from being an Airbender, Waterbender, and Earthbender. Today, we will work on your offense. We want your reactions to also include that of a Firebender's." Aang raised his eyebrows. "Wait, I thought that I'm a Firebender?"

"You are, but you are only a beginner. You don't have the reactions of a Firebender yet. With Airbending, you have learned to avoid and evade attacks. With Waterbending, you've learned to turn your opponent's force against them. With Earthbending, you've learned to stand your ground. You stood your ground, and then turned my fire against me with Airbending. You know those three. Now, you'll learn to attack."

"Oh. But I do attack!"

"Yes, you have been doing that more and more. But you're going to learn to attack as a Firebender. Remember, Firebending is very offensive. Now, let's go to our lesson spot."

"Yes, Sifu hotman! Aaahh!" Aang ducked to avoid a fireball.

"Sorry"

**Part Two:**

Zuko and Aang bowed to each other. They stood near the mouth of a cave, which jutted out as a cliff. The cave was carved into the mountain. They were far enough away from anybody that could be burned, but both had to be very careful. They were on a cliff, afterall. Zuko remembered the first time they had done lessons there. _"Why are we on a cliff, Zuko?" "Because we don't want to burn anybody, smart one." "But a cliff? What if it falls while we're bending?" "You're the Avatar, so you're an Earthbender. Don't worry so much."_ It had felt weird to reassure the Avatar.

"One, two, three."

Today's lesson was to start with an Agni Kai. Well, not a full blown one, just a small one. They weren't trying to kill each other, and who knows what Katara would do. He didn't even want to think about it. Zuko ran a few feet and then propelled himself upwards. He flipped, and kicked out his right leg, his left leg bent backwards. A sheet of fire raced towards Aang, who remembered Zuko slashing out at the fire earlier today, and did the same. Zuko watched as Aang did a simple fist movement that sent a small stream of fire towards Zuko. He saw Aang's eyes widen in amazement as Zuko grabbed the fire stream and thrashed it at him, like a whip. The fire whip flew towards Aang's face. Aang flipped over it, his face looking determined. Aang stood firmly, knees bent, then pounded his fists forward. They alternated as fast fireballs made their way towards Zuko's face. Zuko kicked them out of the way, and bowed towards Aang. He smiled, returning the bow.

"Good. You're attacking. Now, you saw the first attack I made?" Aang nodded. "Well, you're going to learn that today. Agility is very important with Firebending. You'll be doing a lot of flips. I'm sure you'll like that." Aang smiled.

"Um, Sifu, well, um Zuko, so you are Roku's, well kind of mine, um great-grandson?" Zuko nodded. He should have admonished his student for interrupting him, but the proud old man didn't want him to. He was telling him that this was too important to ignore.

"Sit, Avatar Aang. We can attack each other later." Aang smiled. He seemed to appreciate when Zuko wasn't so grouchy, when he made a joke. Even if it was pretty lame. He sat beside Zuko.

"Yeah. Our fates were intertwined before we even met each other. Funny, huh?"

"Yeah. After you left breakfast this morning, we kind of talked about you."

"Oh?" Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, nothing bad. But now I understand why you were so angry. I felt bad for you at some points. You just seemed confused. Wow, Sozin and Roku are in you. That's a bad mix, but you made the right choice when you chose Roku."

"I did. I guess you're the only one that realizes it."

"Everyone else was pretty shocked when you told us. Even Katara. I have a question. Azula's your sister right?" Zuko clenched his teeth. "Unfortunately." "Well, how come she's so evil? Zuko sighed.

"I don't really know. Sometimes, she has weak moments. Sometimes, I think she's good. But her pride always gets the best of her, and she reverts back to her usual self. I think she's so bad because she was so close to my father. My father is pure evil, descendant of Sozin. My mother Ursa is Roku's granddaughter. She was a wonderful woman. I was the closest to her, so she influenced me a lot. When she was banished _(Aang raises his eyebrows at this)_, Uncle Iroh became my influence."

"Oh, that makes sense." They were quiet for a minute.

"How did you find out about your great-grandfathers? I found out from Roku."

Zuko looked down into the face of the Avatar. "My uncle."

"He's a good man. I like him, he was so helpful to me."

"He is. Ughhh, I was so stupid!" Zuko slammed his fist on the ground. A small flame sparked from the impact. "I betrayed him, my Uncle Iroh. I'm so stupid. If I ever see him, I am going to beg for his forgiveness."

"I don't think you'd have to. He seemed to care about you a lot. I'm sure as soon as you say, 'I'm sorry', he'll be hugging you." Aang gave one of his cheery smiles.

"I hope so. I don't know what I'd do if he didn't. He's more of a father to me then my blood father ever was. Heck, he tried to _kill_ me." Aang's eyes opened wide with shock.

"What?!"

"Yeah, the day that you guys were going to invade, I confronted my father. I told him that I was going to join you, and he shot lightning at me."

"How'd you survive?"

"I redirected it back at him. I'm glad it shocked him, to know his inferior child just outsmarted his lightning. It was a technique my uncle taught me."

"You're uncle really is great. Your father is, frankly, a bastard." Zuko laughed to hear those words coming out of the Avatar's mouth. "I agree"

"My uncle is an amazing man. He's related to Sozin, too, but he found the right path. He treated me like a son even when I did terrible things. When I was alone, when I was struggling to find my destiny, he was always there to give me wise advice, and just… love me. I'm so lucky to have him." Zuko closed his eyes, nostalgic and frustrated.

"You are very lucky." Aang looked up into the sky. "Roku was friends with my old mentor, when they were young." Zuko awoke from his thoughts on his uncle.

"Really? He must have been something."

"He was. When everyone found out that I was the Avatar, everyone began to treat me differently. It's like they expected me to have some awesome power to use against them."

"Well, you kind of do." Aang glared, then sighed.

"I do. My friends refused to play with me because they thought I had an unfair advantage. I hated it. But Monk Gyatso was always there for me. I never knew my parents, but he also cared for me like a son. He mentored me, kind of like your Uncle, and he comforted and played with me like a father. I cared about him so much. When I saw him dead, his skeleton lying in the Southern Air Temple, surrounded by Fire Nation armor (Zuko sighed at this), I was in such a rage. I even entered the Avatar State, because he was so close to me. I miss him" Zuko smiled sadly.

"So, not only are you kind of my great-grandfather, we both have surrogate fathers. My father is an evil bastard (Aang smiled, and put his thumbs up), I haven't seen my mother since I was a child, and you grew up in a monastery. So we both had these amazing people come into our lives and be something to us unlike any one else."

"Yeah. Our fate really pushed us together, huh? Now we share a destiny. So, do I have to give you advice about life, since you're kind of my great-grandson?"

"Shut up. Your younger than me, my kind of great-grandfather. And you're corny."

"Well, technically I'm actually—"

"Shut up." Zuko gave Aang a playful shove.

"Now, pupil, how about we get back to Firebending?"

"Sure, Sifu!"

Both of them stood, and went to their respective positions. As Zuko walked, the old man appeared to him. He was grand and tall, and had long flowing white hair. In his hair, he had the hairpiece of a royal prince. Zuko's eyes opened wide, remembering the hairpiece that his Uncle gave him _"A royal artifact"_. The old man smiled knowingly at him, a smile so familiar that Zuko stopped walking. It was his mother's smile.

"Avatar Roku…my great-grandfather." Zuko whispered.

"_I am so proud of you. Your uncle and your mother would be, too."_ Zuko smiled, as Roku spoke to him. _"Continue to help Aang. You've shaped your destiny, and you'll be rewarded. You'll be accepted into this group, and you'll do great things. Now, go teach Aang, my great-grandson." _Zuko nodded his understanding, and Roku disappeared.

"Sifu Zuko, what are you doing? Are you crying or something. Aaaahhh!" Aang yelped for the third time that day as Zuko disciplined his student. Zuko's heart filled with hope again. Now if only Aang would learn not to insult him. Now, if only the group would learn to _really_ accept him.

A/N: _Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it's so corny—I can't make myself to write Avatar as rated T humor. I would have said a lot worse than bastard, but to see that come out of Aang's mouth…I wouldn't have been able to write it myself. It's not that I only approve of kiddie language. By the way, Roku talked to Zuko in his heads, kind of telepathically. And I know Aang attacks a lot, but I just wanted Aang to realize how Firebending fits into the fighting cycle (evade, turn the attacks around, stand your ground, then finally attack). My term paper needs a lot more work. I chose such a hard topic. I'm writing about hate crimes! I can't condense that into a 6 or 7 page paper! Wish me luck. I'll try to update soon, guys. _


	4. Chapter 4: Who Would've Thought

A/N: _Hey, guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while—I've been super busy with school work. I haven't had time to sleep, much less write. Read the __A/N__ at the end. It'll clear some things up. Well, enjoy!_

Disclaimer:I don't own Avatar. If I did, the new episodes would be coming out now instead of in July. They belong to Mike and Bryan.

_**Revelations and Reconciliations—Chapter 4: Who Would've Thought…**_

"Stupid Avatar." Zuko kicked the foliage in front of him. Aang had trouble getting back into the lesson after their talk; he kept fooling around. Zuko had to keep disciplining him, and frankly, it gets tiring after a while. Zuko, frustrated, ended their lesson early, only to realize that they had run an hour overtime. Aang had apologized profusely, and Zuko accepted of course, but he was still pissed. He wouldn't get a chance to practice the technique. Oh well—maybe it wasn't the moment to do it. There would be time again. _Ugh, I'm starting to think like Uncle. Well, it's not a bad thing. Not at all._

Zuko stopped destroying the grass in front of him, and began to walk slowly. He didn't know where he was going; it was his intuition, or maybe Roku. Whatever. _"Lu Ten, don't let Zuko get too close to the cliff!" "Ok, dad I—no, Zuko!"_ Uncle Iroh and Lu Ten had panicked so much, according to Uncle. Lu Ten had been playing with a 1 year old Zuko, who started to crawl away. All of a sudden, they heard a _plop!_, and looked down to see white foaminess in the blue sea. Lu Ten was screaming Zuko's name over and over again, and Uncle had began to sprint towards the end of the cliff, getting ready to jump into the clear blue. Suddenly they heard a squeal of delight behind them, and jumped around. Zuko was chasing a pure white butterfly, 20 feet behind them. Apparently, the disturbance in the water had been from a couple of jellyfish-dolphins. Lu Ten started to laugh, and Uncle had joined in, wondering how the little boy moved so quickly _A/N: Well, he was the Blue Spirit_. _"You're going to be something, little cuz!"_

Zuko shook his head, smiling sadly. The times he had shared with Uncle and Lu Ten were so long ago. Now he didn't know where his Uncle was, and his dear cousin had been gone for so long. Zuko stopped, feeling the difference in air pressure. He didn't know how long he had been walking for. He looked up, to see a clear sky covering a fur of green. He was walking up towards a cliff. _Huh. Roku hasn't appeared to me, but I ended up here. I'm getting better with this soul-searching stuff. _ Zuko continued to trudge on, squinting as the heavy sun shone his eyes. He wanted to be on the cliff's peak. It was where he had spent time learning to Firebend with Uncle, watching the sunset with Mai, listening to stories from Lu Ten.

"Did you know Zuko joined our group? You probably do, I mean, come on, you look over the whole world. Well, yeah, you'd know that. It's weird, but, I don't know, it's awkward, and Katara's being terrible to him. I don't know her anymore….Anyways, there was something I really wanted to talk to you about."

Zuko stopped in his tracks. He knew that voice. He didn't know whether to smirk at the warrior talking to himself or feel concern because he was talking to himself. _I agree about Katara, though._

"Hitting the cactus juice again, Sokka?"

Sokka jumped in surprise, and turned around to meet the source of the voice. He gave Zuko a glare, similar to Katara's but definitely less menacing.

"What do you want." was his reply. Zuko's eyebrows rose with shock and concern at the soft-spoken answer. All he was trying to do was to get Sokka before Sokka could get him. He had expected some sarcastic remark, or maybe an angry/hysterical/Sokka-like question about who had told him (it was Aang).

The Water Tribe warrior was sitting perilously on the cliff's tip. He turned his head away from Zuko, and stared up at the sky.

"What are you looking at?" He approached Sokka warily, not knowing what to expect.

"Look." Zuko followed the point of Sokka's finger, which was raised towards the sky. _The sun? Is that what he means?_ Zuko squinted his eyes, trying to locate exactly where Zuko was pointing to. Then he saw. A white, pearly disc was on the right of the sun.

"The moon." Zuko stated. Sokka nodded, solemnly.

"She's beautiful." He closed his eyes and sighed. "We used to be in love."

Zuko's eyes opened wide. He remembered the North Pole. There was a beautiful, white-haired girl that had been in the room where the spirits thrived. She was on the Avatar's side, when he had been against them. When he had asked Uncle how the moon had healed itself, he had answered sentimentally, _"It didn't—couldn't—do it itself. There was a sacrifice. Someone who was touched by the moon spirit gave their life to it."_ Zuko never questioned him who it was. Now he knew.

"The girl from the North Pole."

"Yeah. Yue. That day when the Fire Nation attacked _Zuko cringed slightly_, Zhao killed the Moon spirit. Yue had been saved by it when she was a baby. It gave her life."

Sokka paused, his face reddening slightly.

"Uh, sorry, this must be kinda awkward for you, being our former enemy and all. Actually it's kinda awkward for me, too. Uh, forget everything I told you!"

Zuko nodded his understanding. He sat down a bit away from Sokka_._ He sounded like he needed some breathing room, but Zuko no longer wanted to stand. There was silence between them. The only sound that could be heard was the rustling of the treetops.

"Don't worry. I know what it's like to miss someone. You might be surprised, but I'm human too. Yeah, I miss my mom and Uncle, but I really miss Mai." Sokka raised his eyebrows.

"You mean that crazy chick that threw knives? Was she your girlfriend?" _Hey, he shouldn't be talking. His girlfriend's the moon. Well, was his girlfriend. Uh, she's dead. Um, I should shut up._

"I'm going to cut off your stupid ponytail and shove it up your ass."

"Is that what you did with yours, you crazy bastard?"

They looked at each other, and then burst out laughing. Looks like he had a sparring partner. Once they calmed down, Zuko gave his answer.

"Yeah, she's my girlfriend. Well, I think she still is. I wrote her a note, telling her that I had gone to join the Avatar, and that… I loved her."

"You just told her the most powerful three words in history. Nice going."

"I hope she takes it well. I really miss her. Even though we had some difficulty, I feel like I can always count on her. She's great."

"I'd like to meet her, you know, when she's not attacking us _(Zuko grinned). _You're lucky you know she's alive."

Zuko gulped nervously a bit, but he knew Sokka would open up now.

"What happened."

Sokka sighed. He stood up, and began to pace back and forth.

"I feel like I'm cursed. I loved Yue. She was amazing, and smart, and beautiful, and kind." He plopped down and laid still on the grass.

"But then she… died. I can still see her as the moon, though it's definitely not the same. And then Suki…" He got up, and began to pace again.

"She was strong, tough, beautiful, and sweet. And now that crazy bitch Azula—'no offense.' 'none taken'—has Suki locked in some prison, where she thinks I've abandoned her. I don't even know if she's alive! I'm cursed! Everyone I love is always taken away from me. Be it my mom, Yue, Suki, everyone!"

Zuko closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. Roku gave him a look of encouragement.

"Sokka, it's not a curse. Maybe it was meant to be this way."

"Are you kidding me? You seriously can't be that dumb."

"Who knows, Sokka. I'm not saying the people you loved should've died. But look at where you are now."

"What do you mean?"

"I think it's made you stronger. You're tough Sokka. But before you were just a boy. Now you're a man."

"I'm still a virgin."

"Not in that sense."

"Are you?"

"Does it matter?"

"No."

"Good. Moving on."

"Okay."

"But seriously, Sokka. You are stronger than you where before. I remember seeing you for the first time. You looked like a little boy playing warrior. Now, you are a warrior."

Sokka smiled slowly. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

"But also, I think maybe you were meant to be with someone else. Not to offend all those great girls who you were fortunate to be with. But I think there's someone else for you."

He was thinking of that blind bandit. He knew that she liked him. And in time, he would like her as well. Maybe something more.

"Are you hitting on me?" Zuko glared at him.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm with Mai. Well, Sokka, I promise you we'll find Suki."

"Thanks, Zuko."

"Don't mention it."

"Don't worry, I won't."

A cloud of concentration swept over Sokka's face. He sat down, wanting to contemplate Zuko's words. Zuko and Sokka stared at the fading moon, each lost in their own thoughts as it turned into night. The sun disappeared, and the moon was only a little silver in the sky. When it became dark, the silver disappeared back into the night.

A/N: _Guys, I just want to apologize again for taking so long to write. I am under a load of homework. I've been averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night. I'll try to update soon guys. Also, I don't mean for this to be any specific shipping. You all can interpret this any way you want. Personally, I like all the pairings I've written about, but I'm rooting for Maiko and Tokka in this chapter. Sorry if you don't! Remember, you can interpret this any way you want. Also, the moon appeared in the sky during the day, but disappeared during the night. You know, a new moon. And if that doesn't exist (because I don't know much about the lunar calendar), well, it does in my story! Hee hee hee. Well, please review guys! I hope you enjoyed it. _


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